Cooling-tower.



No. semola.

'w. H. A. l'mLsMl.Y & s. LAPHAM.

' Patented-Apr. 22,1902.

(No man.)

(Application Bled Oct. 15, 1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

m: mams sirens co.. vommnol. wAsnmsrom uicA No. 698,013. 4 Patented .Ap.v2, |902,

` w. H. A. HALsALL a s. LAPHAM.

`(IOOLlNl' TOWER.

(Application led Oct. 15,A 1901.) v (No Model.) v 3 SheetsTSheet 3.

THE NoRRls PETERS so., Pnomuku. WASHINGTON. o. c.

i UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE."

WILLIAM H. A. HALSALL AND SAMUEL LAPHAM, OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.

COOLING-TOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 698,013, dated April22, 1902.

' Application nea october 15,1901. serial No. *fatta or@ model.)

f To @ZZ whom it may concern:

f fre'ely through the same. 'tower is covered by a roof 2. In the baseof Be n known that we, WILLIAM H. AQHAL- SALL and SAMUEL LAPHAM,citizens of the United States, residing at Charleston, in the county ofCharleston and State of South Car# olina, have invented a new and usefulCooling-Tower, of which the followingis a speci` iicaton. This inventionis an improved coolingtower, especially designed for lowering thetemperature of the cooling-coils of an icemaking plant for cooling anacid or liquefying ammonia or other gases; and it consists in thepeculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fully setforth and claimed. In'the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a verticalsectional View of acooling-tower constructed in accordance withthis'invention, showing the same in connection with a Glover tower fromwhich acid is discharged through the cooling-coils in the base of thecooling-tower for lowering the temperature of the acid and showing alsoa portion of an acid-tank into which the'cooled acid vis discharged fromthe cooling-coils. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on a planeat right angles to that of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional viewshowing the construction of the evaporatings'teps Fig. 4 is -a verticalsectional view of a modified form of the im'- proved vcooling-tower,showing the same inV ture in an ice-making plant, wherein the cooling-tower is employed specificallyfor the pur# pose of lowering thetemperature of coolingcoils for cooling an acid `orliquefying ammo# niaor other gases. Referring specifically to .the form oftheinven'tionshown inFigs.v l

and 2, the tower l is an openstructure 'coinprising a suitable frameworkand OPQII on al1 sides to the atmosphere,so' that air can pass The topof the the tower are located the cooling-coils 3. For

the purposes of illustration a portion of a to the mud-pit B of ysaidGlover tower and discharges into an acid-tank C. In the roof of the4tower is an opening 4, over which is disposed a hood 5. A water-pipe 6,which leads from a suitable source of water, as a pump or the like,(nothere shown,) entersthe tower near the top thereof and is provided with aspraying-nozzle 7, which is adapted to discharge a shower of waterdownwardly in the tower, as will be understood. Below the said nozzleisa spreader 8, which is of pyramidal form andthe sides of which areformed by transverselydisposed slats 9, spaced in practice about an inchapart and disposed at an angle ofabout forty-five degrees. 'Thisspreader serves to break up-and spray the water toward the four sidesVof the tower and to distribute the spray evenly across the tower. Belowthe said spreader are a series of flights of evaporating-steps 10, whichextend to within a suitable distance from the lower end of the tower.fThe said nights are disposed alternatelyfin opposite directions and"traverse the tower and are disposed under each other, so that the waterdischarged upon the steps of the upper flight from the able elevation.The spaces corresponding to the risers between the steps'or treads ofthe various iights are open, so that the air is permitted to circulatefreely between the said steps and `in contact with the exceedingly y Ythin films of water which pass over the said steps and descendthroughoutthe'series there-.f

of, and'it'will be observed by reference 'tov Fig. l of the drawingsthatthe films and sprays of water on the steps andbetween the' same andexposedto the direct contact ofthe `air,

so that the waterv is evaporated by theair tol such an extentthatonlyajveryslight quantity or small proportion lof lthe wateridis`charged from the nozzle 7 reaches thetank 11, and such water asreachesthe said tank is, f. f

owing to the extent of the evaporation, greatly lowered in temperature.

IOO

The tower is provided at a pointasuitable l y distance above thecooling-coils with a transversely-disposed inclined deflecting-hood 12,which divides the lower side of the tower from the upper portion thereofthat contains the evaporating-steps, and the said hood at its upper sidecommunicates with a flue 13, which leads upwardly on one side of thetower.

Perforated pipes 14 lead from the watertank 11 and are disposed abovethe coolingcoils. A series of troughs 15 are also provided,which arepreferably V-shaped in crosssection, are disposed above the respectivecoils 3 and below the pipes 14, and are provided in their bottomsthroughout their longitudinal extent with series of perforations 16,through which the water discharged into said troughs by the perforatedpipes 14 is conducted directly to and upon the cooling-coils, so thatthe latter are wetted exteriorly throughout their entire extent andprotected from corrosion.

The deflecting-hood 12 dellects such heated air as rises from thecooling-coils and prevents the same from passing upwardly through thewater films and sprays and raising the temperature thereof, and the.cold water discharged onto the cooling-'coils effectually reduces thetemperature of the acid and gases which pass therethrough, as will beunderstood. All of the evaporating steps are slightly inclineddownwardly in the direction taken by the water in descendingin thetower, so that the water drops from the lower side of each step onto theupper side of the next step below throughout the series, thus exposingthe water films, drops, and sprays to the evaporating action of the airto the maximum extent and atomizing the drops.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4 the sides of the upperportion of the tower in which the evaporating-steps are disposed areincased, as at 17, and risers 18 are provided, which connect the stepsof the respective flights. Each of the latter has an opening 19 at itslower side over the upper side of the next flight below, and hence airtaken in through a funnel or duct 2O on one side of the tower is causedto describe a tortuous course upwardly back and forth across the towerbetween the flights of the evaporatingsteps before reaching aneduction-pipe 2l, which is provided in the roof of the tower.

The refrigerating-tank D, shown in connection with this modified form ofthe tower, has an inlet-pipe 22 and an outlet-pipe 23 communicatingtherewith in the usual manner, and said pipes, which conduct liquid at alow tcmperatu re, pass through a duct 24, to which air is admitted, theair in the said duct being` cooled by the said pipe, as will beunderstood. A pipe 25 leads from the air-duct 24 to the casing of a fan26, and branch pipes 27 28 lead from the said casing upwardly onopposite sides of the tower and are provided with discharge -nozzles 29,respectively, which discharge-nozzles are disposed alternately betweenthe flights of the evaporating-steps. This fan is driven by an engine,(indicated at 30,) which may be of any suitable construction, and itwill be understood that the cold air blown by the said fan 26 isdischarged by the nozzles 29 into the tower in such manner that a blastof cold air is caused to pass upwardly over each flight of theevaporatingsteps, so that the sprays and films of water which descendover and from the said steps are exposed throughout their passagedownwardly in the tower directly to the evaporat ing action of the saidcold blasts of air, and hence the water is evaporated to the maxi mumextent and its temperature lowered not only by the evaporation, but alsoby the effect of the cold-air blast.

Suitable exhaust-pipes 3l, which connect with the engine and pumpsforming elements of the ice-making plant, discharge upwardly in thelower end of the eduction-tube 2l. In this form of the invention theflue 13 is omitted, the hood 12, owing to the fact thatthe up perportion of the tower is incased, being effective to divert the heatedair that rises from the coils from the upper portion of the tower. Adiaphragm 31 is disposed above the hood l2, thereby forming an air-spacewhich is open at its sides between the said hood and the said diaphragm.The lower portion of the tower, in which the cooling-coils aredisposed,is open to the external atmosphere.

What is claimed is- 1. A cooling-tower having cooling-coils in the basethereof, means to evaporate water in the upper portion of the tower, andto dis-V charge cooled water onto said coils, and a de; fiector abovethe latter, to prevent air heated by said coils from passing into theupper, evaporating portion of said tower, substantially as described.

2. A cooling-tower having means to evaporate water in the upper portionthereof, cooling-coils in the base thereof, means to apply the watercooled in the evaporating portion of the tower to the coils and adeflector above the said coils to prevent heated air from passing intothe upper, evaporating portion of the tower, substantially as described.

3. A cooling-towerto which air is admitted, having means to shower waterdownwardly in the upper portion thereof, a series of descends ing stepsto retard the descent of the water and promote the evaporation thereof,means to collect the cooled water discharged from the steps,coolingcoilsin the base of the tower, means to discharge the cooled water onto thecoils, and a deflector above the coils to prevent heated air frompassing into the upper, evaporating portion of the tower, subst-antiallyas described.

4. A cooling-tower to which air is admitted, having means to showerwater downwardly in the upper portion thereof, a series of descendingsteps to retard the descent of the water lIco and promote theevaporation thereof, coolingour own We have hereto affixed oursignatures 1 d coils in the base ofthe tower, a deector above in the'presence of two witnesses. v

n the coils t0 prevent heated air from passing r into the upperevaporatng portion of the Y. Al HALSALL 5 tower, and means to dischargethe cooled Wa.- i v ter from-the steps onto the coils, `substanlWitnesses:

tially as described. GEO. C. HASELTON i In testimony that we claim theforegoing as E. T. WITHINGTON.

